摘要：Purpose:? Acute radiation dermatitis is a common side-effect of radiotherapy in breast cancer and has a profound impact on patients’ quality of life, due to pain and discomfort. The aim of this study is to compare the effect of β-sitosterol (Mebo) ointment to trolamine (Biafine) cream for the prevention and treatment of radiation dermatitis in breast cancer patients receiving adjuvant radiation therapy. Materials and Methods:? This is a prospective open-label randomized phase III study developed to assess the efficacy of 2 topical agents used for management of acute radiation dermatitis. Female breast cancer patients who needed a course of radiation therapy in our institution were enrolled and randomized into 2 groups 1 with Mebo ointment and 1 with Biafine cream. Both medications were applied twice per day during the whole period of treatment and skin reactions and related symptoms were assessed weekly during the entire course. Grading of skin reactions was done according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group grading system. Results:? Between September 2015 and May 2017, a total of 161 patients were recruited for this trial. Mean age was similar for both groups (50.19±12.57 vs. 51.73±11.23, respectively, P=0.41). All other patients and treatment characteristics were similar in both groups, except for the use of boost (82.7% in the Biafine group vs. 36.7% in Mebo group, P=0.012). Analysis was done for reactions recorded before the beginning of the boost and for the entire course including the boost. Using univariate and multivariate analysis, there was no significant difference in grades 2 and 3 dermatitis between the 2 groups. However, the incidence of severe pruritus and severe local skin pain were both significantly reduced in the Mebo group (14.1% in Biafine vs. 2.9% in Mebo, P=0.016 for pruritus and 11.5% vs. 1.4%, respectively, P=0.02 for severe pain). Conclusions:? This study showed no difference between Mebo and Biafine in the incidence and severity of breast skin dermatitis during radiation therapy. However, the use of Mebo ointment was associated with decreased severe pruritus and pain which could positively affect patient comfort and quality of life.

摘要：Background: Many  topical  agents  are  available  for  the treatment  of  partial  thickness  burns.  We examined  Moist  Exposed  Burn  Ointment  (MEBO)  and  honey  as  dressing  agents;  regarding  their natural antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and wound healing properties. They have also been proven to be superior than silver sulphadiazine in treating burn wound.Methods: A  total  of  34  patients  were  randomly  allocated  into  MEBO  group  and  Indonesian  local honey group. The dressings are changed  daily, with corresponding interventions applied. The depth and extent of burn wounds were assessed upon patient’s admission and once a week for two weeks. Pain  level was  evaluated  using  the Numeric  Rating  Scale  (NRS).  The  wound  swabs  were  cultured weekly to obtain microorganisms profile. The cost-per-day of each group were counted.Result: Acute  partial  thickness  burn  in  MEBO  group  showed  faster  healing  compared  to  honey group. NRS  scores for  pain were also lower in MEBO group. MEBO was found  to be more effective in decreasing bacterial colonization. Cost of  treating wound  using MEBO until complete healing was also lesser than local honey.Conclusions: As  topical agent  to  treat  partial  thickness burns,  MEBO  is  superior  compared  to  local honey due to faster healing, better pain relief, fewer bacterial colonization and the more cost-effective usage.

摘要：The skin tissue has the largest area in the human body and functions as both a barrier and a defender. As such, it tends to be the first tissue to be damaged. Advances in medical technology provide prospects as well as side effects, for example, radiation therapy for cancer. With increasing cancer morbidity and radiation widely applied for cancer therapy, radiation-induced skin injury (RSI) has become a serious concern. In recent decades, research efforts have focused on the mechanisms underlying RSI. This review summarizes the mainstream opinions on these mechanisms, including the pathological, molecular biological, and cytobiological alterations. Radiation-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS), cytokines and involved signaling pathways are evaluated. Other relevant aspects include radiation-induced skin fibrosis (RSF) and radiation-related skin cell senescence. Moreover, we review strategies for the prevention and treatment in clinical and pre-clinical studies to support the treatment of RSI during radiotherapy. The prevention strategies include dose control, pre-irradiation instructions, and RSI assessments, while the main treatments include physical therapy, external-use dressings or creams, biological therapy and surgical reconstruction.

摘要：Factors involved in wound healing and their interdependence are not yet fully understood; nevertheless, new prospects for therapy to favor speedy and optimal healing are emerging. Reports about wound healing modulation by local application of simple and natural agents abound even in the recent literature, however, most are anecdotal and lack solid scientific evidence. We describe the effect of silver sulfadiazine and moist exposed burn ointment (MEBO), a recently described burn ointment of herbal origin, on mast cells and several wound healing cytokines (bFGF, IL-1, TGF-β, and NGF) in the rabbit experimental burn model. The results demonstrate that various inflammatory cells, growth factors and cytokines present in the wound bed may be modulated by application of local agents with drastic effects on their expression dynamics with characteristic temporal and spatial regulation and changes in the expression pattern. Such data are likely to be important for the development of novel strategies for wound healing since they shed some light on the potential formulations of temporally and combinatory optimized therapeutic regimens.